Hello and welcome to my latest column! Today, I’m going to talk about the possibility of TNA’s future lying in the UK/Europe, including doing more than one tour a year and the advantage of using the UK as a base for future European exploits.
I believe that the time is right for TNA to visit the UK more than once a year. Over the past 6 years, TNA have come across the pond to do a tour of the UK and Ireland, and they’ve drawn decent numbers. They’ve got a big following here, possibly even more than they’ve got in the US, and they draw steady numbers when they come here.
The most recent Maximum Impact tour has just finished and judging by the early reports, attendance figures were fairly high. A secondary tour would do just as well if TNA were to add it.
The Maximum Impact tour usually concentrates on Glasgow (where they taped two episodes of Impact from the all-new Hydro Arena for the first time), the Phones-4-U Arena in Manchester and Wembley Arena in London.
Expanding into, or adding, a second tour, would allow them to use locations like the LG Arena in Birmingham, the Echo Arena in Liverpool and the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield. I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to fill the arenas I’ve just mentioned. TNA could also look at including a holiday camp, like Butlins, on an expanded tour.
In the past, WWE have used the location at Butlins Minehead. They’ve got a 5,000-seater pavilion which gets converted into a seated arena, so TNA could use that too. They could also look into including an all-in package, where fans would pay for accommodation, fan interaction and show tickets, either just for one show, or as a weekend package to include family tickets.
I could see TNA using a second tour to give more fans the chance to attend their live events, which are always amazing and have a great atmosphere.
Over the past few years, fans in the UK have been crying out to have a PPV, and this year they got their wish – a Joker’s Wild event. Considering that TNA have been reducing the number of PPVs that they do each year, is it time that the UK got a major PPV like LockDown or Slammiversary?
If they did a summer/autumn tour in the UK, they could include either the road to Slammiversary, or even the PPV itself. I’d pay to see a PPV in the UK, as well as the January tour, because not only would it be a chance to see a PPV live, but if it’s held in the right location, it could push TNA on to the next level.
Alternatively, TNA could base their product in the UK for a few months and end the tour, say with the LockDown PPV. They could record episodes of Impact leading up to the PPV around the UK, and possibly Europe. It would be a chance to go, not only to major cities, but to places in the UK where it’s easy enough for fans to get to and places that don’t get the chance to see wrestling very often.
Talking of TNA basing their product in the UK, that brings me nicely to the prospect of TNA using the UK as a base to move into Europe. Basing themselves in London would make it easier for TNA to move in to Europe for longer tours.
I’d like to think that TNA would look at capitalising on the new TV deals that they’ve set up in places like France and Portugal. If they were to expand their product and take the time to promote it in more European countries, they could move even further afield.
Countries like Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Spain are all good places for TNA to target and if they promoted themselves properly, their following in each country would grow. Once they’ve established themselves, it might be possible for them to use wrestlers from each of those countries, further expanding their fanbase.
On their most recent tour, TNA used Shanna from Portugal as well as Alpha Female and “Bad Bones” John Klinger from Germany. All 3 wrestlers have had experiences with TNA in the past.
Alpha Female had a try-out on the 2013 UK tour and was brought back this year to have a match with ODB on Xplosion, as well as further appearances which are yet to air. Shanna and Bad Bones both took part in the online TNA GutCheck competition last year and appeared on the recent live shows from the UK.
That’s enough to show that if TNA are already using European talent, there’s obviously demand there. Why not expand gradually and see if it’s possible to hold other European events in the next 2 years, which I think is a definite possibility.
Overall, I think this is a huge year for TNA. We all know that they had a tough year in 2013, but they need to put that behind them.
There’s some new talent coming in, as well as the recently announced alliance (and talent share) with Wrestle-1 – which means that Muta and Sanada will be appearing at LockDown and a variety of TNA stars going the opposite way. It’s a massive platform for TNA to gain and grow a following in Japan, which could help them to realise their full potential.
TNA need to make the most of 2014 and dispel the rumours that they’re in danger of going under. In my view, that’s far from the case. With any company, you’ve got to reshuffle to move forward. Yes, we might see a few fan favourites let go or get left behind, but surely it’s better for both sides to part ways if they’re not happy? After all, it’s about the bigger picture. TNA needs to continue to grow into 2014 and beyond.
What are your thoughts on TNA adding a second UK/Ireland tour, or using the UK as a base to grow further into Europe?
Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can find me on Twitter. I’m @emmagiles98. You can also find me on Google+ – just search for Emma Giles.
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